Sweaters and Snowboards
by helebette
Summary: Five years have passed, the magical barrier between Storybrooke and the rest of the world is gone, and Henry wants his whole family to go on vacation together. Based on a tumblr prompt requesting Emma/Regina sex involving that grey sweater and a Ski Lodge;)
1. Chapter 1

As soon as the magical barrier around Storybrooke disappeared, Mary Margaret requested a trip doing something she had always been curious about. She wanted to learn to ski. She also wanted a family vacation. With Henry and Emma and David.

It got complicated when Henry insisted that Regina accompany them. Mary and Regina had made their peace years ago, but David was on side with the rest of the town in continually refusing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"She's also my mom and she never does anything fun and _nobody_ wants her around. Even though she saved this town more than once." At 16, Henry now had a booming voice that still cracked and went high and childlike when he was upset. And nothing made him more upset than the subject of his reclusive mother.

Henry and Regina had dinner together on Thursday and Friday nights and they ran most mornings along the water. Lately, their runs would end at Granny's where Regina would leave Henry with his other mother.

Emma, for her part, kept up a cordial relationship with Regina, but she did so in a kind of absent way—sleepwalking through their interactions and just sort of complacently backing Henry up on his requests. Like this one…

"Yeah, the kid is right. She should come." Emma shrugged and wandered back out the way she came in.

When the group gathered together three days later at the town's boundaries the vacation nearly ended before it began. Mary had over-packed, and Cora hadn't packed anything, leaving Regina to run back into town to shop as quickly as she could with her mother in tow.

They finally arranged two cars in the best possible way to accommodate the group and then they were off.

Regina drove her car with Emma in the passenger seat and Henry and Cora in the back, while James and Snow drove an SUV with all of their stuff. She shifted the rearview so that she could see her son and mother interacting, but for the most part she didn't worry about the two of them. Somehow, the thought of having a grandson had actually mellowed Cora over the years. From time to time they caught her trying to teach Henry some really destructive and intense curses, but it wasn't hard to get her to drop it. Now she and Henry played chess on a magnetic set and discussed Wonderland.

"So how have you been?" Emma asked quietly.

"Fine. And you? Sorry to hear about your engagement." Regina winced. The words sounded hollow coming from her. She wasn't sorry. Why should she be? Emma hadn't even loved the man, it had been obvious to _her_ at least.

"No problem." Emma watched Regina's expression shifted strangely. "Ummmm…he wasn't…I mean I wasn't…" She slumped and shrugged.

"I'm sure you made the right decision." Regina nodded and for some reason that made Emma feel better. "I see you've brought your comfortable clothes out of retirement." Regina added with a smirk.

"Hey, what's wrong with my clothes?" Emma picked at an errant strand of wool on her grey sweater. She had worn it a lot when she and Mary first arrived back in Storybrooke after slipping through that stupid purple portal.

"Nothing at all. It fits the skiing theme. Did you know they have horses where we're going?" This made Regina actually smile.

"Yeah?" Emma shifted sideways in her seat. It was a rare thing seeing Regina light up like this. "Well, maybe someone will teach me how to ride."

"I…I'm sure…wait, what?" Regina swerved the car to the right as her head snapped around. She allowed Emma's hand to jerk the wheel back in place but then swatted it away. "No one has…well that won't do. There are stables in Storybrooke you know."

"I know…" Emma frowned. David and Henry didn't go back to those stables and she had no idea that Regina still did. Not after that whole thing with the zombified fiancé and whatnot.

But Regina just shrugged. "The horses need care. Human drama is none of their concern. I've been tending to them."

"Oh." Emma didn't know what else to say to this. "Jeez, Regina, that's…I mean that's great of you. Maybe I could help sometime." She grimaced yet again. Offering to help after five years of ignoring the whole issue seemed awful.

"Fine." Was all Regina said.

The place Mary had booked wasn't exactly a luxury resort, but it was homey and they were the only group there. Emma laughed when she saw her room. It featured a gigantic bed with a red bedspread, a wooden table and three chairs, a grey leather couch from the 80s, and a whole lot of ugly horse themed crafts throughout. She threw her stuff onto the bed and walked to where a small fridge sat beside another door.

"Oh, sorry!" The door was unlocked and it led right to Regina's room. Regina just smiled tersely at her and waved her hand at her own room with a roll of her eyes. "Your room is also really cheesy." Emma laughed at the white leather couch right next to the door.

"The view is lovely. I'm going to inquire about riding now." Regina nodded to the window which revealed light snow fall.

"I'm snowboarding. I'll see you later." Emma was hesitant. She shrugged and glanced down at the black riding boots she wore. It was probably time to learn to ride a horse. Then again, the hills would have a nice coat of new snow…

"Plenty of time for horses later. Have fun. Now close the door." Regina smirked and waved as Emma backed out as slowly as she could. "You're annoying you know?" Regina added.

"Yes." Emma replied with a laugh. She didn't know why, but she was feeling really happy to be away. Maybe it was just the thought of being out of Storybrooke with everyone, or maybe she just needed to be alone with this particular group of strange people. As odd as they were, they _were_ her family. Having time with just them was making her feel giddy and sort of mushy.

She went out with her new snowboard and an all new outfit. Black pants and black jacket with black goggles—no one could miss her against white snow. If she wanted to do any night runs on the already well-lit hills, her jacket glowed green in strips of material that could not be seen during the day.

Mary and David were already on the easy run with instructors, learning to do the most basic of moves on their skis. She had passed Henry and Cora in the main room, still playing their game of chess in front of a roaring fire. Henry was asking his grandmother about protection spells in the case of nuclear warfare. Cora, for all of her problems, had rid Storybrooke of Rumpelstiltskin's power over them, and was probably the only person on the planet who could enact protection spells against the things that human beings in the 21st century had done to themselves.

A day spent slicing through fresh snow, breathing in cold, clean air, and walking through some really beautiful terrain, left Emma pleasantly tired by early evening. She bundled up in a new pair of jeans and an old t-shirt and then after a moment of hesitation, threw on her grey sweater again and turned on the television set in her room.

"Holy shit. "She couldn't help but mutter aloud when she got to the higher channels. There was porn. Lots of it! Including two women doing something odd to one another. Oh. Right. Scissoring. Emma snickered to herself at first, but then when one of the women got really into it and just started grinding away…

Fuck. It was actually kinda hot.

When she thought about it, Emma realized that she hadn't actually had an orgasm in weeks. The stress of a breakup and work and living with family had all but killed her libido.

Now she squirmed and hunched down on her ugly leather couch and started to let herself get a little turned on. Ok, a lot turned on. As in so turned on she decided to undo her jeans a little and maybe slide a hand down…

"Emma!" Just then, Regina called out, slamming open Emma's door and rushing in.

"We have to check on Henry." She said tersely. "There is free pornography on my television and…apparently…" Her eyes strayed to the set in Emma's room. "Yours as well." She finished weakly.

"What?" Emma shouted and rolled over onto her stomach, hurridly doing up her jeans. "Why? And don't you knock?" But Regina's eyes were glued to the television and hadn't even noticed Emma's need to fix her clothing. A slow smile was forming on Regina's lips.

"My, my…still waters run deep." Regina crossed her arms and watched as two actresses ate each other simultaneously on screen. "This explains a few things, don't you think?" Then she shook her head. "Henry's room. Now."

"Oh shit." If the porn was free in their rooms, it had to be free in their son's room. "Wait, he's a teenager! I'm not walking in on that!"

But Regina was already down the hallway, knocking on the kid's door. Behind her, Emma pulled her sweater closed and crossed her arms.

He didn't answer. So Regina opened the door a crack and sighed with relief. "Not here. He must still be with my mother. Good lord, how long does it take to play a silly game of chess?"

"Once those two start they don't stop." Emma shrugged and entered the room. "I still think this isn't our business."

"Emma Swan, what was on my television set was sexist and degrading to women. I don't want our son watching it." Regina flipped on Henry's television set and sorted through the channels. Then she checked the settings and phoned the front desk, following instructions to put on the adult content controls using a long and complicated password. When she got off the phone, she kept talking. "I've kept him sheltered from the baser elements of modern Western society and I'd like to keep it that way for a while longer." She turned briefly to Emma and added, "we've raised a boy who would rather play chess with his grandmother than play violent video games. I think we've done well, don't you?"

"Well yeah." She had a point. Also, it was really nice that she kept saying 'we' instead of 'I' since Emma came into the picture pretty late. It was sort of like being validated or whatever—that's what Archie would probably say anyway. Emma followed her out of the room again. "But you can't filter porn in Storybrooke…though, I mean I'm sure he's seen…" Emma faltered. "Wait a second. I haven't seen _anything_ in Storybrooke. I mean not even a Playboy. Regina Mills!" She stage whispered her name. "You're practicing censorship!" Then she started laughing as Regina waved a hand at her. God. She was such a Republican sometimes…

It wasn't until they were back at their own rooms, that Emma got embarrassed again. When Regina turned to say something to her, they were too close all at once. Suddenly Emma felt a lot less sleepy and absent and just sort of _not there._ With Regina an inch from her and with the realization that she'd caught her looking at lesbian porn of all damned things…Emma felt like the world had come into sharper relief. Even the air between them was alive.

"Oh." Emma almost sobbed the word. Her hand covered her mouth and the tears started. "I'm sorry, I've just been having a hard few weeks…"

"It's ok. Come inside. I'll make you some tea." Regina rushed her along, a hand at her elbow.

The first thing Emma noticed about Regina's room, was that the bedspread was nicer than her own. She stared at it, swiping a tear that rolled down her cheek.

"I always bring my own sheets and blankets to hotels." Regina muttered behind her.

"You travel a lot? I mean ever since Storybrooke's magical boundary disappeared…" Emma tried to do the math. It had only been a week.

"The boundary has never meant the same thing for me." The kettle was plugged in as Regina spoke. "I've been out of Storybrooke a great deal without anyone knowing."

"Well that's…interesting…" Emma wanted suddenly to know what Regina had been doing. After years of practically ignoring her—taking her for granted more like it—now Emma wanted to know about every waking moment of Regina's life. Which was annoying, because five years meant opportunity for multiple adventures, perhaps even multiple people. Jesus. Was Regina seeing somebody outside of Storybrooke? "How far have you travel..." She stopped herself with a shake of her head. "Wait. What were you watching?"

"Ugh." Regina stopped the kettle before it boiled. Which was fine, Emma hated her tea scalding. It took too long to drink. She took a mug of milky, sweet black tea and sipped it happily as Regina continued. "Nothing of interest. Just some woman having very rough sex with a very well endowed man."

"So that's not your thing?" Emma tried to keep her voice casual. Of course. Regina would have boyfriends all over the damned country. Wealthy men, _well endowed_ men…

Suddenly Emma wanted to throw her fucking tea through the god-awful ugly mirror with it's shapely black horse outline.

"No." Regina seemed to read Emma's thoughts and put a stop to them quickly. "My _thing_, as you put it, is increasingly becoming that which you were watching in your room."

Emma's heart did a double beat. "Oh." Was all she said, only this time it came out sort of strangled and she had to sip her tea to get her throat to work again.

"I've been seeing a woman in Canada." Regina waved a hand to her couch, smiling tersely until Emma sat the hell down. "I _was_ seeing a woman in Toronto. We ended things just last month." She glanced again at Emma's boots and sweater and arched an eyebrow. "I presume you're figuring things out in that department as well? Hence the comfort seeking ugly clothes-a-thon?"

"You're…don't be a jerk, Regina." Emma said the words so fast that she didn't have time to regret them. But they actually made the woman beside her chuckle. "And yeah. Figuring out a few things I suppose. Wow. What are the odds, huh? We're both…you know…"

"I don't like labels." Regina interrupted.

"Right. Right. Of course. Me neither." Emma slumped again, this time just too tired to think about it all.

They finished their tea in almost comfortable silence before Regina ushered Emma back to her room.

Emma fell into a dreamless sleep that night, waking only when she heard Cora and Henry outside her window, riding horses and discussing space travel and light years. It was 11am.

She decided to spend the day snowboarding again and took a series of leisurely runs on one of the easier hills. The top of the hill gave her an awesome view and it was quiet and peaceful enough that she could be left to her own thoughts. Mary and David were still on the easy run with one instructor this time. And Regina was meandering around the property with a horse, on snow trails Emma could see from her vantage point. Cora and Henry were probably inside again, neither one being interested in the actual skiing or snowboarding part of the vacation.

At lunch, the group convened in the Lodge's restaurant.

"I've decided to learn to snowboard." Regina announced.

Cora stared at her, baffled but then shrugged and said, "You've adopted odd habits. But who am I to object. I've discovered something called a Ski-Doo." She said it like 'skeedough' and kept going, "The strangest riding device yet! Will you hire an instructor? This place seems to have an abundance of such people." Then she glanced around as if searching for one.

"She doesn't need an instructor. I can teach her." Emma shrugged. "We'll rent some equipment for you and get started this afternoon."

Emma didn't have time to wonder why Regina chose to go with her but she assumed it had to do with the continued remarks David made around her. What the hell had gone wrong between them, she sure wanted to know someday. She made a mental note to ask a few questions as she waited for Regina outside, an hour after lunch.

The other woman looked nervous but stylish as always. Regina's pants were black and her jacket was a funky florescent yellow. When Cora walked out behind her, she wore a nearly identical outfit. Emma couldn't tell if Cora dressed like Regina on purpose or if Regina simply bought two of everything so that her mother would have access to what she needed. Emma waved as the older woman went off to find the Ski-Doo 'riding devices' with Henry.

"I like your hat." Emma glanced at the red knitted toque Regina pulled down over her ears.

"My mother knits like a fiend. She'd knit all day if Henry didn't take her off my hands from time to time." Still, Regina smiled. She and Cora had obviously worked through a lot of shit in the years since the curse ended.

"Ok, so the beginner's run." Emma clapped her gloved hands together in mock joy. She didn't want to take the easiest hill but it would have to do for Regina's first times…

"Don't be silly. I've done this before. I just didn't want to let on. Take me to the Wolf Run."

"What? Really?" Emma grinned. "That's awesome. Ok. I haven't tried that one yet."

"Well chatter on and on and we'll never try it, will we?" Regina smiled and though her words were sarcastic, she seemed to actually be teasing.

_Well then_. Emma just followed, rolling her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

An hour later, they were on their third leisurely run down through a long and wide run lined by yellow birch trees. Regina was halfway decent on a snowboard, but Emma was better, so she slowed down and lagged behind a little.

By the time they arrived at the base of the hill, they were both smiling stupidly. The snow was harder packed than it had been the day before, and it was sort of wonderfully bouncy after a day of slightly milder temperatures. Regina leaned close. She unzipped her jacket and removed a flask with a wicked grin.

Soon their cheeks were rosy with wind and with the expensive whisky Regina had brought. They weren't set to meet the rest of the family for another hour, so Emma opted for a nap.

She stripped down to her underwear as soon as she got into her room and slid beneath the sheets. Though she was tired, her body was still buzzing from the exercise. It felt good, like she was actually _in_ her body instead of just in a haze. She let her mind and her hands wander and nudged her underwear aside.

At first, her fantasies were the usual. Like when she imaged some faceless person totally eating her out while she was on her knees. Or when she imaged some faceless person touching her from behind. Her index finger swirled wetness around her clit and she sighed and spread her legs…

Then strange new thoughts came to mind.

When Regina had walked in on her the night before, Emma had been wearing those boots, that sweater…she suddenly imagined Regina letting her actually finish what she had started…

…her clit got really hard when she imagined herself in the boots and the sweater wide open and her shirt up and her jeans down and then_ Regina_ sliding off her underwear, kneeling between her thighs, and using her thumbs to rub lightly through her pussy…

She had to stifle her moan when she came. It took effort then to drift off _without_ thinking about anything else.

After what seemed like just a nap, she heard her name being called.

"Emma?" With a faint knock, Regina opened the door between their rooms slightly.

"Huh?" She was disoriented when she realized how dark it was outside.

"You slept through dinner. I brought you a plate. Shall I turn the light on?" Regina paused.

"No, wait. I'll…I mean yes, turn the light on, but don't come in yet…" Emma searched beside the bed for her clothes. "I'll be in there in a minute."

Henry was in Regina's room and they were both chowing down on an assortment of miniature cheesecakes. Emma gratefully took her plate of chicken and roasted potatoes and veggies and held it to her chest while she ate. She propped her feet up on a chair beside Henry and smiled tiredly at him.

"You've been working too hard lately." He informed her. When he tapped her knee with his spoon and gave his best stern look, Emma saw every bit of Regina in his expression. What was once disconcerting—a point she only realized in experiencing the contrast of it—was now sort of sweet.

"Has the Sheriff's office been bothered with anything in particular?" Regina sounded concerned but she also sounded like she didn't want to involve herself.

"Same old, same old. I've just been working longer hours. We need to hire someone new but I'm…"

"Picky and you don't trust anyone to do the job you know how to do yourself." Henry interrupted. Regina called him rude for it, but she looked oddly pleased—either by his bossiness or by Emma's control freakishness, Emma couldn't be sure.

After eating and chatting with the two of them for a while, Emma got a second burst of energy. They decided to go into the main room for drinks in front of the fire. Regina uncorked a bottle of Chianti for herself, Emma, David and Mary while Henry hugged a mug of hot chocolate to his chest.

"He reminds me so much of you at times." Regina murmured to Emma.

"Funny, I was thinking that earlier—but about you." Their whispered conversation was being watched by David.

"So, Regina. Retirement. How's it treating you?" There was something snide in David's tone. It startled even Mary who was used to him and Regina going at one another.

"I'm not retired you _id_…I mean I'm not retired, _Prince Charming_." Regina sounded almost frightening to Emma then.

"Hey you two, take a chill pill. Jeez. So what…what did you mean by that?" Emma asked politely.

"Business ventures. Investments. I've been involved in some other things." Regina shrugged and swirled her wine. She glanced at Mary who was chugging hers and picked up the bottle to top up the woman's glass. Emma noticed that Regina's dress, which was sleeveless and black, was mirrored by Mary's though hers was long-sleeved and slightly longer. Mary also wore a necklace Emma had seen on Regina once or twice. They were obviously getting along well enough to swap clothing. Something about that made Emma really happy and sort of disoriented.

It was midnight when Mary and David went off to bed and the lodge owners politely asked Emma and Regina if they might clear the main room for the night.

"Come on, I have more wine in my room." Regina prodded Emma out of her seat and tugged playfully on her sweater. "I also have other clothing if you'd prefer."

"Fuck you, I'm in a period of mourning." Emma replied.

"Well it's about time you admitted it. Now we can actually have a discussion…"

"Naw, you know what?" They were at the bottom of the long staircase made of cheesy lacquered logs and Emma grasped Regina's shoulder gently. "Let's not, ok? I'm fine, really. I'm enjoying this time, let's not talk about the stupid elephant in the room…"

Regina stepped closer and placed her palm on Emma's chest. "The elephant in the room being…Your broken engagement to Henry's father? A man who left you two days before the wedding and three months after…"

"Don't…" Emma warned.

"…after…" Regina prodded again.

"After I miscarried. Yes." Emma started crying then. She couldn't help it. "This is why Mary Margaret wanted this vacation, right?" She talked in between sobs, refusing to let Regina closer—thank god the other woman didn't try to hug her—but holding onto the hand against her chest.

"This is why. And this is also why Henry wanted me to come. He seemed to think that you would talk to me when all else had failed." She turned on her heel then and walked back upstairs.

Regina found more wine—a Riesling—in her fridge and poured two cold glasses. Then she turned to Emma with a whole other subject for discussion…

"So what were you doing when I came in earlier?"

Emma choked on her wine and spent a minute coughing.

"Nothing, I was just sleeping." Emma paused then added, "I mean I sleep in the nude sometimes. I was just sleeping like without…much on…"

"Right." There was that smirk again, only this it was accompanied by something else as well. Emma had seen Regina turn the seduction on for other people but for _her_? No way.

Except that…well…It _was_ sort of like that first time they had met. The way Regina had offered Emma a drink. The way she had smiled at her.

Emma stepped closer. "Why are you so interested?" Now Regina's hands were on her sweater. Slipping it carefully from Emma's shoulders. "And what do you have against this damn garment?"

Their lips were an inch apart when Regina murmured, "Nothing is wrong with that terrible grey sweater, in fact it is exactly what you should wear at a cheesy ski resort surrounded by porcelain horses and cat memorabilia…"

Emma was laughing the first time Regina kissed her. She was still amused by the porcelain horses but her mind shifted. She thought that Regina's lips might be the fullest, most perfect lips she had ever kissed. And the smoothness of her face and chin was a lovely surprise. The kissing went on a little while—she even let herself touch Regina's waist, just lightly. Then she pulled back to catch her breath and asked, "So did you dump her because you found out I was single again?"

"Aren't we the cocky one now." Still, Regina didn't exactly deny it. She just cupped the back of Emma's head with her right hand, wound her left around Emma's waist, and leaned in again. This time their mouths opened and Emma could feel the silken strokes of Regina's tongue against her own. Someone moaned. Maybe they both did. Either way, it made Emma move closer, touch more firmly, open wider…

"We should slow down." Regina protested as Emma led them toward the bed.

"Green means go." Emma said…for some reason. She wasn't sure why. She was pretty drunk and their kissing was getting sort of sloppy good, like she just wanted to suck on Regina's tongue for an hour and feel around inside her mouth.

"What?" Stopping all the kissing for a moment, Regina flipped them so that they fell sideways on the bed. "Emma, you should sleep.

Emma didn't know what hit her, but she was asleep not long after Regina ordered it. The kissing suddenly ended as the effects of alcohol and sadness took over.

She dreamt about a little girl with eyes like Regina's, brown with flashing amber tones, and when she awoke from their discussion, whatever it had been, she was crying.

She was also alone. In Regina's bed. Still wearing all of her clothes.

It was noon. She got up quickly and rushed into her own room for a long shower.

When she got downstairs, her family was waiting. Everyone was there. Including Cora who looked thoughtfully at Emma and said, "I have some teas you can take, if you're interested in conceiving again." Which earned a furious tirade from Regina and in turn a blasé response from Cora admitting that no, she indeed did_ not_ have any social filters.

"I'm ok. I've been talking to Archie about it all." Emma admitted this out loud after months of feeling like she was hiding something. "So whose idea was it to stage this intervention?" Her hands were jammed deep in her pockets as they all denied the real reasons behind the sudden vacation.

"Whoever it was, it doesn't matter now." Regina shouted above the din. "Either way, I've booked us in for another week."

Henry gave a whoop then got up to hug Emma who held on for a few extra seconds. "Thanks." She whispered. It was obviously him who had forced her to take time off of work for Mary's supposed sudden ski fetish.

Now that the gig was up, Mary didn't have to pretend to like skiing at all. She and Regina spent a good day and a half out on horses while Emma, Henry and David found a hill they could launch themselves down safely on sleds.

They had two more good days throwing themselves down snowy hills, before bad weather hit and they were snowed in.

"I've contacted the owners to inform them that I'll be taking over the restaurant for the day." Regina announced this as she walked briskly through the main room, obviously on her way to the kitchen.

"They said it was against health regulations!" Cora laughed. "What on earth does that even mean?" Still chuckling, she used a levitation spell to gather decks of playing cards from her room upstairs.

When Emma wandered into the kitchens to help, she found Mary chopping onions with Regina and sobbing all through it. She backed slowly away and left the rest to the two women.

"What happened?" Emma was able to take Regina aside a little while later.

Regina shrugged. "She said it reminded her of times when she was young and we used to cook together. I mean we had chefs of course, private staff, but I was constantly bored. Cooking helped me to focus on more than just my boredom. Apparently your mother has fond memories of these times." She sniffed and swiped at a piece of fluff on her black turtleneck.

Emma waited. It took another few minutes of silence as they watched the family set a massive table in the main dining hall before Regina admitted it.

"Fine, all right?" Regina huffed. "It was nice to spend time with her." She gritted her teeth through each word.

"You've missed her. All these years, you've actually missed her." There was wonder in Emma's voice, even as Regina interrupted her mid-sentence saying "Now let's not take it _too_ far" and flounced away.

"Bon appetite." Regina's dark mood lifted when she saw the results of her and Mary's cooking binge. There were cheese filled rice balls, manicotti stuffed with fresh cheese and arugula doused in the best red sauce Emma had ever tried, fresh salads with pine nuts and an aged balsamic dressing, roasted duck with rosemary served on polenta, and there was, of course, wine.

After dinner, Henry and Cora stayed downstairs by the fire playing cards. Mary and David had discovered the spa with a hot tub upstairs and took off.

While Cora and Henry discussed the true nature of a deck of playing cards, Regina and Emma took over the cushy chairs in the far corner where they could see the a panoramic view of the lit-up ski hills, and still be beside the fire that burned in the restaurant.

"So how exactly did you afford all of this?" Emma had to laugh at the self-satisfied pat Regina gave herself on the back.

Then Regina leaned forward and whispered, "My mother can weave gold, remember? Besides, my investments have been lucrative. I'm lucky in money if not in anything else." Now Regina rested her hand on Emma's knee. Her touch was warm, not too demanding, but definitely not just friendly.

"You're particularly unlucky in things other than money?" Emma stifled a yawn as she ran her thumb across the inside of Regina's wrist.

"Tired?" Regina asked instead of answering the question.

"No, just content." Emma decided. "Things will work out the way they need to." Somehow just uttering those words lift her a little more.

Henry made pots of tea and then Cora had them playing some odd Wonderland version of poker using toothpicks stolen from the restaurant until past midnight.

"I've decided to purchase this wooden castle of sorts, this _Lodge_." Cora announced. "I like it here. I'm buying every Ski-Doo in the country and starting a fleet."

"Why do you want a fleet of snowmobiles?" Henry couldn't stop giggling.

"What, dear Henry, is a snowmobile?" Cora asked with her signature Cheshire cat smile.

"It's the generic snow…carriage." He laughed harder. "The Ski-Doo is a brand." He actually said it properly, but never corrected Cora. "You know? A brand name snow carriage. Sans horse."

"Clever boy." Cora seemed impressed. "Yes, let's use magic tomorrow to fill this place with snow carriages. Then we'll hire a massive army and sweep through the land!"

By the time they all went up to bed, Cora's plans included a takeover of the North Pole. Emma really didn't know what to do with that piece of information and was fairly sure that while Henry thought it to be a joke, Cora might be just a little bit serious.


	3. Chapter 3

"Your mother is a piece of work." Emma whispered in Regina's ear as they slipped quietly through her door.

"That she is." Regina agreed, turning in Emma's arms to flip the lock. She pressed against her for a moment, then turned away with a smile. "It's late Sheriff Swan."

Emma glanced at the clock and shrugged. "So it is. Well, then, I suppose I should get to sleep." She nodded toward her room. "Though, I like your sheets better."

"Egyptian cotton." Regina nodded. "You're not wearing your sweater."

"Well it didn't impress you enough so I retired it." Emma blinked sleepily as she moved forward into Regina's space again. She reached and cupped Regina's cheek. "You know, I think I've been trying to impress you for a few years now, I just didn't acknowledge it. I'd often think of you when I dressed for work. Knowing I'd see you after your run with Henry…"

"I may have done the same." Regina tried to sound bored by that. Emma wasn't buying it though.

"About time you admitted it." Emma's arms wound round Regina's waist, pulling her into a hug. She pulled back when she felt Regina go tense. "Something wrong?"

"Storybrooke." Regina spread her hands over Emma's shoulders. "Are we going to just go back to pretending the other doesn't exist when we return home?"

"No." Emma didn't hesitate. "You know all of my terrible secrets. Who else do I have to talk to besides Archie?"

"He is a good person to talk to." Regina nodded in all seriousness, even as Emma began to lift her shirt up and kiss a line across her neck. "That escalated quickly." Regina gasped. She let herself slip free of her bra and watched Emma go to work there as well, drawing her tongue over her collarbones then down over hardening peaks while her hands cupped their fullness. "Oh my. That really escalated quickly…"

"Mhmmm…I want you." Emma's voice was muffled against Regina's belly. If there was something in her tone that sounded off, it was only because she knew they were moving too quickly and maybe even using sex as a way to cover up the pain of recent disappointments.

Regina raised her up again, fingertips beneath her chin, and kissed her deeply as she shimmied out of her jeans. They ended up on the bed in just their underwear—Emma ever grateful that she had gone with the red lace that day instead of the beaten up boy briefs she usually wore.

"What are you giggling about?" Still not convinced that this was the best of ideas, Regina gasped against Emma's neck, her hands sliding down and over Emma's ass pulling her closer.

"Underwear. Don't worry about it." From the angle she was at, Emma could look down into Regina's eyes, holding onto the headboard with one hand.

"Wait, wait…" Regina muttered against Emma's collarbone.

Emma did stop, rolling off Regina with breathless laughter. She rubbed her forehead hard with her palm. "Too fast, huh?"

"No, not. Well maybe. I don' t know." It looked like Regina was in actual pain as she grimaced and turned to rest against Emma's side. "I'm so…" She cleared her throat. "Nevertheless, I just think we should talk." She hesitated but Emma pulled her in closer.

"Yeah. Ok. I guess it's been a complicated few years. Five years since we met. Right?" Those five years seemed like a blip to Emma though she had never stayed anywhere for that long...

"You expressed the opinion that I could never change…" Her hand was warm on Emma's belly. "I'm haunted by that, even if we have moved on."

"Oh. I did. Well…" Emma had to rewind. "I was disappointed. I thought we had formed a bond or some kind of trust and I thought you had broken it and I took that personally. That's so weird, I totally talked to Archie about this just last week. I remembered that look on your face when you poofed away on a cloud of purple smoke. Which was weird, by the way. Kinda cool but also really…I mean you can't just do that whenever we fight from now on, ok?"

"Extreme circumstances. I'll not do it again." Reassured a little, she let herself sink against Emma.

"Regina, you've saved our asses more times than I can count. Times have changed. You don't need to hide from me—from us—anymore." Emma frowned. "Dammit, maybe we should have_ told_ you that."

"I have a lot of…water under the bridge, shall we say, with your parents." She yawned and moved her head a little off Emma's chest.

"I don't want anything to do with any of it." Emma was firm. "Maybe that's half of our problem? I want what we have to stay ours. I haven't ever wanted to involve those two or involve you in my relationship with them either. The family vacation thing sort of brings that to light, because it's all connected and there is only so much I can do to deny that. Then again, we can still take our own space." She slid her heels up and down the bed then stretched out again. It was good to just splay out with someone she trusted totally. And she already trusted Regina, which was a lot more than she could say for people she was supposed to have been in love with, supposed to have wanted to _marry_.

Regina was quiet. She was also a _lot _more relaxed than before. Realizing that she must be almost asleep, Emma let her eyes rest as well. She would fix it later. In the morning. Or next week. Whatever it was…

When she opened them again, she was under a blanket and the sun was just peeking in through still-open curtains. She was alone.

After a quick shower, she wandered downstairs to find Regina setting a table for breakfast.

Emma took the coffee Regina poured and held it close. Outside, the snowfall had stopped for a time. "The whole magic thing. Believing what Gold said instead of what was actually in front of our eyes. Or, in my case, believing what was in front of my eyes but not instinctually true. I suppose it's how Gold fooled everyone. Now he isn't the Dark One, now he's just the man, and from what I hear about him now, doublespeak no longer dominates his approach to relationships."

"So you're still in touch with him…" Regina forked a bite of potatoes and pretended not to be terribly interested in the response.

"Yeah." Emma left it at that. "Can't help it, there are still family ties to worry about. Ugh." She took a generous sip of her coffee. "I remember a time when _nothing_ tied me _to_ anyone or anything."

"This is better." Regina decided for her. "Even if you are speaking with that _son of a_…"

"And here's Henry!" Emma exclaimed, interrupting the insult loudly as the teen approached them from behind Regina. Regina rolled her eyes though she also looked a little relieved.

Mary Margaret and David came downstairs next, with glowing reports about their previous day's activities. David even seemed more jovial around Regina. This made Cora—who arrived from someplace outside—look utterly confused. She proceeded to stare at David for much of breakfast, laughing from time to time at something he said even when it wasn't a joke.

"Dammit! _Mother_! Let's take the horses." Regina abruptly left midway through breakfast, hauling Cora up and away.

Leaving Mary Margaret and David with the cleanup, Emma and Henry found one of the snowmobiles that the Lodge owners had hidden away from Cora. They spent the nicer part of the morning near to the Lodge, venturing only as far as they could without losing sight of the building. The trails weren't manicured of course so they had fun motoring through deep snow between the trees.

When the snow hit again, they made lunch for everyone and spent the rest of the day reading by the fire.

It wasn't until late afternoon, when Emma had flipped through yet another page of psychotic Clown killing in her King novel, that Henry noted Cora and Regina's continued absence aloud.

"I'm sure they're fine." Emma wasn't worried exactly. When Regina and Cora did return, Emma watched them shake snow from their clothes at the front foyer. There was something in Regina's expression that seemed off. Whatever it was that was going on, Regina wouldn't be convinced to talk it out any time soon.

"I'm going to go for a run." She meant in the small exercise room.

"Can I join you?" Emma really wanted to hit the weights again after a month long absence.

"Of course." Regina's expression relaxed again.

An hour later, Emma was buzzing and sore and sweaty. She was also incredibly turned on after sneaking numerous peaks at the other woman in the room with her. If Regina noticed, she pretended not to, but Emma could swear the extra wiggle in her ass, and slowed down movements whenever she spotted Emma's eyes on her breasts.

"Wanna join me?" She wiggled her eyebrows at Regina when they found their rooms again.

"No, I'm disgusting. Another time, Ms. Swan." The name was emphasized as it used to be—all sarcastic and supposedly terrifying when really it was just a turn on.

"Fuck." Emma felt that little trick right inside. She shed her clothes quickly and fumbled with the shower door. The water was too cold, so that distracted her momentarily.

"So who was she?" Were Emma's first words upon entering her own living area to find Regina sitting on the couch, watching television with a glass of wine in hand.

Regina glanced at Emma. While she wore slacks and a silky cream colored shirt, Emma still just had a towel around her. Brown eyes flicked up and down Emma's body as some internal debate waged. Finally Regina just took a big chug of wine and shook her head. "We had an arrangement," She answered. "It wasn't exactly a serious or significant relationship for either of us."

"What did she do for a living? Was she Sheriff somewhere?" Emma snickered to herself. She slid next to Regina on that ugly couch, upon which she refused to have full-on sex, so they were safe for the moment to just talk.

Regina's pause went on awhile. Then she said, reluctantly,

"Not exactly…"

Now Emma was confused. She toweled her hair dryer and waited.

"She was a dancer." While Regina said this, she ran her fingers lightly along Emma's foot. She might have been talking about their next vacation.

"A dancer _as in_…"

"At a club I liked to go to. We pre-negotiated and pre-arranged everything in advance. I told you I'm not great at relationships…" Now Regina rushed ahead, took another gulp of wine, and stared at the television.

"Easier to pay for it, huh." Emma was beyond shocked.

Regina fumed and turned on her. "Emma Swan!" She tried to get to her feet, obviously embarrassed.

"No, I mean that in a serious way. I'm not making fun. Come back, come back!" Emma's arm swung lazily over Regina's waist, pinning her down. "It's ok you had a kept woman. Your business." Emma muscled the other woman closer and rested her chin on Regina's arm. "Why did you end it?"

"Must we?" Regina seemed calmer though, and less humiliated. "She really wasn't _ever_ going to be into a relationship and I was…well, I was starting to think about it." She pretended to pull some thread from Emma's towel. "I thought…_maybe_. And maybe wasn't in the cards for her."

"But you weren't like, in _love_ with her…"

"No, but she was nice and pleasant to have a conversation with. And I thought…"

"You thought I was otherwise occupied?" Emma said it all innocently, like she hadn't been fishing all along for this. "So when did you figure it out?" She asked.

"Figure what out?"

"The whole gay thing. Liking women thing. That sort of thing." Emma knew that the old land, the enchanted fairytale whatever-the-fuck land, had been pretty pressure filled on the marriage front, but so was _this_ world. Still, she hadn't thought about marrying Neal because she felt pressured, it was more like…he was _safe_ somehow…

"Does it have to be so defined?" Regina sniffed, like the question itself was beneath her. Emma just kept looking at her though. "I loved Daniel. Beyond that, I had to consider the possibility that loving again was not my fate. I had casual encounters, that grew more casual as time progressed, but I had a healthy appetite, shall we say. She rolled her eyes as Emma smirked. "There were women as well as men. Over time, I grew bored with men."

"You prefer the pussy to the…" Emma earned a smack on the thigh for that one.

"That isn't it. Don't be crass. You sound like my old guards. Always discussing genitalia. Tell me, Emma," Regina's voice lowered, her thumb brushed over Emma's collarbone. "When I kissed you, when I responded to you, how did that feel?"

"Oh, uh, pretty good." Emma blinked.

"Imagine doing more." Regina touched her cheek lightly. "Imagine me, beneath you, calling your name, shaking as you…"

"Oh damn, I can't even…" Emma's mouth suddenly felt dry. Her stomach felt tight and her feet restless. The thought of it all just sort of flooded her brain. What if she had Regina all to herself. What if she could touch her everywhere and do whatever she wanted. The skin that peaked from between Regina's blouse looked so soft…

Smirking with the knowledge that her breasts had Emma entranced, Regina leaned near and kissed her. She kissed Emma roughly, grasping the back of her neck with one hand, tongue insistent and lips wet and tasting of cherries.

"Not on this stupid couch!" Emma whined just at the end of the sentence as Regina's lips moved down against her neck.

Pulling away, Regina glared, then nodded toward the bed. The towel was lost along the way and then Emma could feel her whole body against Regina's clothed one. The blouse was carefully unbuttoned and the slacks pushed down more gracefully than Emma could have managed, and then Regina pushed Emma down onto the bed and kissed her again and again, nuzzled her throat. She spent long moments on her breasts, asked "are these real?" and earned a "what the fuck Regina" which only made her chuckle before she alternated licking and stroking.

Emma could feel Regina's wetness through underwear, against her bare thigh, grinding in rhythm with the finger that slipped inside. They slowed down as Regina took time to explore, moving her middle finger against the smooth skin and then rough ridges that made Emma's back bow.

"You're so warm…You're pulling me in, you feel so good…" Regina murmured against her lips. She bit Emma's chin gently to keep their eyes locked. "Not yet…" She said, "Patience…" Then their bodies found perfect rhythm and Emma could use her free hand to ease off the last of Regina's clothing.

Regina's eyes were warmer than Emma had ever realized. There were dark swirls of brown that mesmerized until Emma was clenching and holding on and moaning her release against full lips. Instead of stopping, she raised her knees and shifted until Regina was between them…

"Fuck me…" Emma growled. She _needed_ this. Just to give in and let go and let someone else take care of her. Her tongue stroked Regina's insistently and two more fingers slid into her cunt. Regina braced herself on an arm next to Emma's cheek, her hand moving faster and harder. She found that rough spot again and concentrated on it with curled fingers, pulling as she pushed, until there was a gush of wetness and Emma reached between them, rubbing her own clit furiously. She screamed when she came but the sound was muffled against Regina's throat.

Apparently Regina still had some point to make, because she slid down Emma's sweat covered torso and settled her mouth against a sensitive and soaked clit. She licked only gently, delving in and around. The next orgasm made Emma shake and squeal.

Her eyes were closed when Regina climbed back up and settled against her. "You're pretty proud of yourself." She muttered, only to hear laughter in return.

She would have returned the favor, but Regina seemed content to pull the covers atop them both. "I'm ok. In the morning." She kissed Emma's shoulder then turned her and wrapped an arm around her waist.


	4. Chapter 4

That first time with another woman had, for Emma, been like a calm reawakening. The closeness of Regina, her scent, the sounds she had made as she moved over Emma, forehead pressed to hers while knowing fingers curled inside…

Now there was another moment of waking or emerging from layers of muted sound like water.

It was early, just before sunrise, and Emma had time to just look at Regina. To wonder how they got to this place.

There was that familiar face, that proud nose, high cheekbones framed by waves of dark hair. How had they ever hated one another—Emma wasn't sure.

It was going to be dawn soon. Emma stole a glance at the curtains where yellow-orange light glowed just at the top edge of the window.

The room was too hot and the body against her wasn't helping. She shifted against Regina until she could place her palm on the softly rising chest, calm in sleep.

Then Regina's breathing hitched and she started to wake up. "Em…" Was the first thing. "Is everything ok?"

"Yes." Their words sounded loud in dark silence. She didn't move her hand. It was all so new now. To feel Regina's heart hammering against her palm—and to memorize her unique scent, like sex and sage and cinnamon—was like a gift. Damn Emma was feeling cheesy about it all…

"Are you sniffing me?" Regina chuckled and drummed her fingers on Emma's knuckles. Her laughter was cut short when she found herself pinned down. She smiled, "Hey, what are you doing?"

"My turn." Emma felt sort of shy when she said it. But she didn't let her nerves get in the way, just started following her instincts, kissing her way around Regina's jaw and neck and breasts. Damn. Breasts, boobs, whatever the hell—they were awesome. She moaned when the flat of her tongue made one perfect nipple pebble and then again when Regina arched her back to press her harder there.

She felt the dampness at the back of her neck from her exertions, and Regina's hand tangled in her hair. "I want you like this always." Emma gasped as she slid two fingers around Regina's clit and through her folds.

"Like what?" Regina's thighs spread and her pelvis pressed down against the bed. "Fuck…unnnhhh…your fingers feel good…"

"I want you sweaty and hot against me. I like you like this." Straddling one thigh, Emma began to thrust her hips in rhythm with her hand.

Soon Regina was panting and grinding into her so desperately. Her fingers left faint red marks all along Emma's back. Then without warning, she flipped them and started moving faster. The sound and smell of sex heightened the experience but then Emma started muttering about how much she liked Regina's pussy, all wet and clenching against her hand…

Regina threw back her head and came with a shout, one hand holding the headboard while the other clung to Emma's wrist to press her palm harder against her clit.

Afterwards, Emma admitted, "I think I've wanted this for much longer than I even admitted to myself…" and Regina agreed with a sleepy nod, still atop the other woman.

They fell asleep again, for a short time, then showered together.

Breakfast was an interesting negotiation. Emma's parents left them alone, being all too aware of what had likely transpired—the looks on the two women's faces were enough to convince them.

Cora, on the other hand, stuck close by, and shot studious looks toward Emma with a confused look on her face.

"Fate is a strange, strange thing." She also kept saying.

At least Henry was oblivious, so they decided to spend some time with him.

They had time before the weather turned again so Regina led Emma and their son to the stables shortly after breakfast. Emma and Henry started on horses tied to a central post, learning all of the basics with one of the lodge owners. After an hour, they were set up with the best horses for their beginner needs and the three took a slow walk through one of the narrow trails. Regina took the lead with Henry between her and Emma's horse.

"All right back there?" Regina called out. Henry's horse was young and kept wanting to speed up but Emma's seemed to want the opposite and kept stopping to chew at errant pieces of hay on the ground.

"My ass hurts." Henry still sounded cheerful enough.

"So does mine." Actually what Emma meant to say was that something else hurt, but she wouldn't say so in front of their kid. Otherwise the walk was pleasant. Horses might not become her big thing, but she could get the hang of it all eventually. For now, the snow sparkled around them in rare sunshine and Emma could appreciate the company she was with, so she wasn't complaining further.

The ride seemed to have some other affect on Regina though. She seemed agitated when they got back to the stables and immediately grasped Emma's elbow, pulling her back out to the pathway.

"Henry, your mothers need a word. We'll join you inside momentarily."

"Are you guys going for another walk? It's cold out here." Henry called out. His moms were moving fast. "Ok. Uh, I'll catch you later. It's supposed to storm later so don't be long."

"What?" Emma yelped as she was pulled off balance and shoved against a tree once they were out of Henry's sight.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you." Regina gasped against Emma's chin, undoing her jeans part way and shoving her hips against the hand that she hoped would actually _do _something.

"Oh wow…" Emma shoved her hand over satin underwear. "Just like this, huh? Just over your underwear, against this tree?" She used her other hand to grasp Regina's ass and pull her hard. "Take what you need then, come on..." She whispered in Regina's ear, her breath making a cold cloud there.

Regina pulled away long enough to capture Emma's mouth roughly. It wasn't long before she shook and moaned against her, slammed her hips twice hard, then stilled. Then she started babbling, obviously a little embarrassed.

"Let's go find that hot tub now. Why on earth did someone have to mention a hot tub so early in the morning? I haven't been able to think about anything else. This is not…" Regina laughed breathlessly, hanging on Emma's shoulders now. "I am _not_ in control here. I hope to god you are."

"I…I'm not. But that's ok. Maybe we don't need to be." Emma let herself look at Regina. Really look at her. At full lips, that small scar, light beneath Emma's thumb, her cheekbones, her eyes flashing almost amber as they struggled to focus...

"You're staring at me." Regina laughed, still catching her breath.

"You're beautiful." Emma planted a chaste kiss at Regina's temple and they stood like that, hugging in the cold, until they both started to shiver and Emma herself reached down and did Regina's jeans up again. Which evoked even more laughter.

"That might be the most romantic thing anybody has ever done for me." Regina laced their fingers together as they started walking back. Both wore gloves that were cut off at the ends which was convenient but chilly.

Emma's heart felt suddenly too full and too confused by that fullness to let her talk about gloves and zippers and fumbling sex against a tree. She swallowed hard and squeezed Regina's hand.

Cora was waiting for them. Arms crossed, eyes sharp, smile deceptively friendly.

Five years ago, the reception might have frightened them both terribly. Times had changed. Still, the two women paused.

"A storm is coming." Cora nodded to the horizon where dark clouds loomed. "No need to go sneaking off into the woods when you practically share a room."

"Mother." Regina huffed. The tension eased and the moment passed.

Emma blinked and it was as though five years really had gone by. Cora really wasn't going to throw some awful spell on them. She was just…_curious_, from the look of it. Perhaps a little concerned. The invisible line in the sand that had once between drawn between Cora, Regina and the rest of them, was now faint but still a memory.

Perhaps it was deliberate, perhaps not, but Cora found a way to distract her daughter for the rest of the day. Emma spent her afternoon reading old Stephen King novels by the fire with Henry. If she found Mary's cheerful proposal for a mother/daughter spa day to be awkward in light of the things she and Regina had been planning, she didn't let on. It was absurdly good to let herself get manicured, pedicured, mud wrapped, and salt watered all in one long afternoon.

By the time Mary and Emma reached the restaurant for dinner, they were both blissfully relaxed.

"You both look glowy." Henry declared. "Unlike mom here." Beside him, Regina's cheeks were pale and her eyes wide and glassy.

"Mother took me on a rather harrowing snowmobile ride. Designed to rid me of all fear for the rest of my existence. We took the Wolf Run," Regina added, "Much to the chagrin of the owners here. They've barred Mother from further use of the snowmobiles."

While Cora fumed loudly about it all, Emma had a chance to lean over and squeeze Regina's hand with nobody watching them. "Now." She whispered quietly.

Regina nodded and they were up and away again. "We're taking advantage of the amenities." Regina declared. "Please do not follow us. I may throw up on you all."

"Really?" Emma whispered as they ran up to their rooms.

"No, I'm fine, just a little shaken. Hot tub?" Regina ran ahead, stripping her black turtleneck sweater already as they reached their doors. "I'm just grabbing my bikini, we can go down the back stairs."

"The waters are in a room all to themselves." Emma unbuttoned her shirt and pulling off her bra. She was down to her underwear when Regina came back in and helped herself to one of Emma's suitcases.

"Predictably unpacked." Regina hummed happily, sorting through the mess of Emma's clothes and coming up with the skimpiest black bikini she could find. She gave a cute little smile as she did the top up around Emma's chest and tied it in the back.

The room they entered into was massive with what looked like a swimming pool in lieu of just a hot tub, and a small waterfall in the middle of it. The waters were all salted and there was a cold tub next to the heated area. The cold water was much needed, because they started making out like teenagers as soon as they were submerged in the heated area. Emma felt sweat bead her upper lip only minutes into it. She fumbled with the back of Regina's suit and grinned when the top came off easily.

"You just put that on." Emma pointed out as her own top met a similar fate and landed in a wet heap beside Regina's. But they barely paused as hands laced through Emma's hair and an insistent tongue stroked wetly inside her mouth. "Tell me the truth." Emma panted as those lips trailed over her neck and sucked hard. "How long have you wanted this?"

"Weeks. Months. I don't know." Regina's hands were insistent on Emma's breasts, drawing her nipples to hard nubs then pinching in rhythmic movements. "I dumped my girlfriend when I heard you weren't marrying that idi…I mean that man. I have to stop calling him that, he's still…" She paused, suddenly looking a little lost. Emma took the opportunity to lift her in the water and mouth one breast, then the other. "Oh ok! Let's not talk about him!" Regina gasped.

"Let's…not…" Emma lifted Regina up and out of the water, just enough to be able to hook her fingers in thin bikini briefs and tug them down legs sculpted by running and heels and whatever else. Faced with a naked woman splayed out before her, Emma had a few choices. She decided that the air was too cold and the water too warm to rush things and so pulled Regina back in, wrapping her in both arms and slowing the whole kissing thing down so they could actually just enjoy it without having to move things along. She could feel the short hairs of Regina's sex against her belly and slid her hands lower to feel the apex of Regina's thighs from behind.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck… " Regina's hips strained backward as she felt strong fingers brush against her clit. It was hard and aching and she needed to just be fucking stroked…

"You're really wet." Emma muttered, taking a hardened peak between her lips and sucking gently. She suddenly wanted Regina to come—_fuck_ slow and steady with the woman she had wanted for so long, just bucking and writhing against her. She took one hand away, kept the other circling against Regina's opening, and used her right hand to stroke Regina's clit. Of course Regina had to take the upper hand, even just a little, so Emma found her bikini shoved aside and her thighs shifted so that Regina could slide against her.

"Oh my…oh…that feels really good…" Regina gasped and laughed as Emma thrust harder, her clit swollen and full against Regina's fingers. Her head lowered as her muscles strained and then she looked up…

Their eyes met as Regina's orgasm overtook her. Just the sight of it made Emma clench inside. She kept her eyes open and Regina kissed her fingers trembling as her body recovered.

They helped each other back into their suits, just in case, and cooled off before enjoying the hot water for a more relaxed session.

"What do you think about sailing?" Emma asked. She had let her legs float to the surface and now Regina was massaging her calves and feet.

"I think very little of sailing. It never was my cup of tea." Regina sniffed and swiped wet hair from her forehead. "You?"

"Not remotely interested." Emma grinned goofily Regina laughed. "Just thought I'd ask."

"What do you think about flying overseas?" Regina was actually serious. "We should go to Paris."

"Can you imagine you in the shoes you'd find?" Emma nodded and lay back in the water, letting her hair get wet. "I can imagine you in the shoes you'd find. All black stilettos and fancy…purses. Or whatever." She heard the chuckle that followed faintly, her ears low in the water.

Emma had a moment of thinking of her own body as water—as though her womb were like a giant warm tub that first Henry and then her lost child had both grown in. She hadn't even realized it, but the miscarriage had made her doubt her body's abilities and her own worth somehow. "I can try again." She said out loud.

"Yes. You can." Regina's hands continued to soothe as she replied. "It wasn't your fault, Emma…" She stopped, averted her eyes back to Emma's feet and let the woman cry without an audience.

An hour later, they were warm and dry and huddled together in a large chair by the fire downstairs.

"Are you all therapied out now?" David approached the two women quietly and handed each a mug of cider. Emma smiled gratefully at him. Her eyes were still red but Regina's hand was soothing on her back, and her whole family was around her, and things were generally a lot better than they had been in a long time.

"I'm good." Emma decided. "I'm really good."

If ever there were a time when Regina and David might say they had buried the hatchet, they might have named that moment as it. They exchanged some look over Emma's head and Regina nodded.


	5. Chapter 5

Regina and Emma enjoyed the slopes, the horses, and most of all, each other. Emma wasn't used to waking up in such close confines with another human body, but when she found Regina's head atop her chest, her leg pinning down her own, and a hand wedged firmly between the bed and Emma's side, it was _good_. It made her sweat a little, made her pulse race, but all she had to do was stroke Regina's back, kiss her lightly, and she stirred from sleep and gave a little room.

On what was supposed to have been their second last morning at the lodge, Emma was awake first, yet again, and let herself just watch Regina. She thought back to the mistrust she'd had for the woman. What had changed, so slowly, over their time together in Storybrooke? And where should they go next? She couldn't think beyond the moment, never really could, but sometimes Emma wished she'd get a little better at some long-term planning. She was pretty much in the dark on this one.

Concentrating on the slope of Regina's neck was a less stressful activity than overthinking their relationship though, so she settled on that.

Still, she had to ask…

"When did you decide you had feelings for me?" Emma's question was repeated twice before a sleepy, still-barely awake, set of eyes regarded her.

"Hmmmm…I was dreaming about snakes." Regina took a deep breath and immediately fell asleep again.

Emma kissed the bridge of her nose. Then her chin. It took a few minutes for the other woman to wake fully.

For some reason, this didn't totally annoy Regina. Emma figured being awoken unexpectedly was just a part of parenthood. She waited.

"At the last ummm…it was that party that Ruby threw." Regina muttered sleepily. Her eyes were still closed but she wrapped an arm around Emma's waist and rested her cheek on one shoulder. "I saw you, I just saw how sad you were and strange things like the light in your hair…I don't know how to explain it…and I knew you were single and I knew you were hurting and I wanted to help and I knew I had to be honest about the feelings I was having." She chuckled and slid one bare thigh between Emma's own and hummed at the wetness she found there. Then she grew serious, all at once and said, "I thought we'd lose you if someone didn't try…" Her eyes opened, wide and intent on Emma's. Her nose scrunched. "Wait, it was before that, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. More like…_mayb_e…that first time I saw you on my front porch?"

Something jumps in Emma's stomach. "Wow that long, huh?" She remembered noticing Regina's calves on that first night. For some reason she'd looked again and again. Well now _that_ made sense. She blinked, moving on to more important things. "You thought I'd leave Storybrooke?" Emma frowned. She'd probably considered it, on some of the nights that had been harder than the rest. "Naw," Her lips brushed against Regina's temple and she smiled sadly. "I knew that being completely and utterly alone wasn't what I needed."

If Regina had further questions, she swallowed them for the moment. Her leg slid further over as she moved to straddle Emma's thighs.

Half an hour later, Emma stumbled, breathless, into her own room. She grinned at the sore wrist that Regina's vigorous movements had created.

But then, as she showered, she wondered more about what Storybrooke might bring them. It was as though a different context had allowed both women to open up a little more. She wasn't worried, at least not then, about her own bad habits. It was the town itself. Would they accept this massive change? Most people didn't even talk to Regina.

The woman in question threw back the shower curtain just then, glanced at Emma's worried expression, and rolled her eyes.

"I came to return the favor, so whatever it is that's bothering you, let it go." She kissed Emma's lips and laid her hand over one hip. What started as gentle caressing soon escalated until they had to switch locations. Emma found herself back in Regina's bed, naked, dripping from the shower, and hauling Regina on top once again. Her toes pointed and she pressed her feet to Regina's thighs while two fingers moved slowly inside of her. When she came, arching and closing her eyes tightly, she cupped the back of Regina's head and held her as close as she could.

Later that morning, after brunch, they tried snowboarding with Henry. He remained unconvinced about his lessons.

"This isn't necessarily a great way to spend one's time." He decided, after falling over more than once. But he also said, "thanks for trying again moms," and laughed as he wandered back to the lodge.

Regina just shrugged and kissed Emma's rosy cheek. "One more." She decided, happily pulling down her goggles.

The snow was gorgeous and the sun was shining. Emma and Regina made their way to one of the steeper runs. It was a good day, even if Cora had decided, for whatever reason, to put various kinds of memory spells on the lodge owners. They'd already rented the place out for just themselves, but in addition to buying it, Cora now wanted it all made invisible.

Which was ridiculous.

They might have known then, that her magical escapades were escalating.

Of course, that would be the evening when the 'fit hit the shan'—or at least this was the way Henry described it, after years of Regina limiting his swearing. Cora would say, later, that the crisis had been overblown.

It started when Cora decided to challenge Emma to a game of chess. She'd been watching Regina flirting with the blonde woman over glasses of wine. Canoodling, Cora would call it. Cora tsk'ed as she led the enamored (and hammered) Sheriff by the elbow.

"Let me show you how they play in Wonderland." Cora's smile was catlike.

Halfway through a badly played game (Emma knew not how to actually play chess as it turned out) and after half an hour of Regina's suspicious looks, Cora used a shrinking spell to place herself and Emma directly on the board. They could hear Regina shouting above them, so Cora rushed the game—and her lesson.

Emma saw the pieces through a haze of magic and wine. The chess pieces were like statues she'd seen once at an art exhibit in the Florida somewhere. It had been a performance piece, totally illegal. The heat had been sweltering and the chalky concrete figurines had been placed in sexual positions unbefitting a Queen, or a Queen's mother. Emma snickered and set about moving her first piece.

"Look," Cora directed Emma who was shoving her pawn forward slowly. "You seem to run quickly, to the easiest solution. If you continue your current course of action, I'll certainly take this game. If you move your Queen, the answer is less clear, the stakes are higher, and yet in the end, you may actually win."

Emma peered over the board and asked, stupidly, "Is the Queen also Regina?"

"No, dear, the Queen is a small piece of ivory on this silly board. _Focus_." Cora looked at her thoughtfully. "Though, it would be interesting to note—how far would you go to actually protect Regina?"

"Wait, you said…this isn't about metaphors." Emma tripped and grabbed the bottom of her Queen's elbow to right herself.

"It might be. We won't know until we work at it." Cora paused. When she spoke again, it wasn't about the game. "I tried to talk her out of it, you know—out of leaving that other woman. Regina didn't love her, I knew that. But she had her freedom, her self-respect…the minute she heard about your engagement, boom! She changed her whole life."

When Cora said 'boom', she actually hurled flames at Emma's pawn, torching it as she pushed it off the board.

Emma ducked and then untucked her chin from her chest. She kept her hands protecting her head. "Ummm…so you don't approve, I take it?"

"Silly girl, of course I approve." Cora laughed and Emma had a serious feeling of déjà vu. "By the way, I'm two seconds from checkmating you." Cora added. "But I need you to think hard about what you're doing with my daughter. If you hurt her, if you run back to your silly ex or the one before that…"

"I won't…what are you talking…wait, I really care about Regina but this game is…" Emma babbled. "Wait, two seconds?" Emma circled her Queen, ran two squares over for a new vantage point, then ran back. "No, that was two seconds! I'm not beat!"

Cora started to laugh but then just as suddenly, her expression shifted. Guilty. She looked guilty. And she looked like someone who knew they were about to get into huge trouble. "I think…"

"You think…you think what?" Emma was still trying to figure out her game plan. She couldn't see the end, couldn't see her downfall—what the hell could Cora see that she couldn't? Was _that_ the metaphor? It was her own fear, a strong, surging rush of it, combined with Regina's voice that pulled her into the darkness.

The first thing Emma saw was Henry's furrowed brow as he peered down at her.

"What's going on?" She asked him. The room was dark.

"Oh thank goodness, she's awake." Another male voice.

The words made Emma chuckle. Her father would say 'thank goodness' like _goodness_ was a thing, an entity one could call on.

Then, rushing up alongside her father, Emma finally saw Regina. Her chest was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and she had only a thin, worn white t-shirt with the Yankees printed on it. Emma wanted her so much in that moment, and she felt her cheeks flush.

"Ohhh kay…" Her father blushed just as brightly and turned away. "I'll leave you both to it. Snow, by the way, is helping Cora, so I'll let her know you're up now." His voice squeaked and he turned quickly to give a warning look toward Regina. Henry just patted him on the back and left as well.

"Not him too." Emma groaned. She sat up quickly. "Shit, we're leaving tomorrow, shouldn't I pack, what the hell time is it?"

Regina sat carefully on the edge of the bed and smoothed Emma's hair back from her forehead. "We're stuck here for yet another few days. My mother's little trick created actual damage. Did you know that that chess piece ricocheted all over the lodge?"

"Hmmm…" Emma laid back, disinterested. No doubt the thing had set a few small fires, but it was nothing the magical amongst them couldn't handle. "So how many more days are we staying?" She looked suspicious at Regina. "You know, the town is without its Sheriff…"

"The town is fine. I used a looking glass yesterday." Regina looked guiltily down at the bedspread and muttered something incoherent.

"Try again…" Emma said softly.

"I don't want to go back." This time Regina's words were clear.

Fighting impatience, Emma just pulled her down onto the bed and settled in behind her then. "It'll be ok." She had the sudden urge to say something cheesy about making sure Regina was safe—that they'd be ok—but instead just wrapped her arms around the woman from behind and rested against her.

Regina was gone by the time Emma woke again. So she wandered downstairs, wearing that familiar grey sweater and a pair of loose jeans, she saw that Cora and Snow were in full-on diplomacy mode with the entire staff of the place. Snow wouldn't lie but she was willing to go along with some of Cora's stranger explanations. In the meantime, whenever someone asked something specific, Cora would tap them on the forehead, freeze everybody in mid-air (in that order sometimes or in the opposite order others) and rush about throwing blue smoke at the charred walls and furniture.

Joined shortly by Regina and Emma, Henry lounged in one of the undamaged chairs and played a small hand-held video game. "Waiting for her to play cards," he stage whispered to his mothers, gesturing toward Cora. Regina ignored them, watching the staff and Cora intently from her perch on the edge of a nearby table.

It was nearing midnight, but no one seemed tired. Emma was just groggy, from all of the napping she'd done at such a weird hour.

After watching them awhile—the magical stuff was really fascinating, but Cora seemed to be playing games with the timing, dragging it all out or something—Emma went over to the front door. She spent some time looking at the lights that trailed up and down the slopes. It was nice to just enjoy the snow and the crispness of the air. Storms or not, they'd had a good time and the latest turn of events with Regina had her feeling optimistic about finally leaving.

She had a craving for hot chocolate and was pleasantly surprised when Henry brought her a mug. They stood together for a moment.

"You probably want to go see your dad sooner rather than later, huh." Emma said quietly.

"When you have time. Do you have to work long before taking another week off? Does my mom?" Henry's shoulders were broadening, Emma noticed, and he was starting to look like her father.

"Storybrooke doesn't exactly have union rules." Emma shrugged and sipped her cocoa, smiling against the whiff of cinnamon she noted. She thought about seeing Neal again. Neal had been familiar, comfortable, easy, but more than any of that, he'd been a part of Emma's past. So easy to hold onto. So much simpler. Except for all of the stealing and shitty lies of course. The new baby was supposed to have made up for all of that. Henry, another kid, plus mom and dad, what more could a person ask for? Nuclear family boredom. Saturday morning cartoons and cereal at the kitchen table. Sunday soccer games and preschool playgroups.

Thing is, she could have the parts of that whole thing that she actually wanted—but she could have the good stuff with Regina.

And yeah, she did want to bring the kid to the city. She wanted to bring Regina there as well. But then what? She'd just started thinking that maybe they should all just stay in this vacation limbo, when it hit her. Henry was back by the fire and so she followed, still deep in thought, and plunked herself across from her son.

The grey sweater smelled a little like Regina's perfume, from one of their make-out sessions on the ugly leather couch in Emma's room. She slumped down in her chair and immersed herself in the scent.

What about women, just generally? When did that start? Sure she'd looked around a little. Ok, so she'd also had fleeting thoughts…that she could have Neal and have her cake on the side. Why not? She was sure plenty of marriages went that way.

"Wow." Emma couldn't help but exclaim out loud. Not very fair. Not fair to Neal and not fair to herself…

…and in a weird way, not fair to Regina. Because Regina had been the one woman Emma had looked at. Side glances, sure, but still—she was the one who'd haunted some of those not-so-innocent dreams that left Emma imagining someone else while she'd fucked her fiancé.

"Wow." Emma said it again. Henry looked at her, baffled.

Sometimes a thing could be so obvious that one could think on it and never blink an eye. She was pretty much gay, or bi, or whatever, and she was definitely gay for Regina, and she'd been totally prepared to stay with the wrong person just because it was easier. Talk about refusing to make a move. "Cora!" She shouted, interrupting the argument that had just broken out between the Queen of Hearts and the Evil Queen which…damn that was funny too!

"Yes, dear?" The normally immovable expression and fixed smirk had been replaced with actual distress. Apparently Regina could really get through those layers. Good to know.

"How long can a person leave their pieces on the board without actually moving them?" The smile on Emma's face was probably disturbing them all slightly. Snow looked particularly concerned, but Cora just lit up and answered,

"You have a time limit for the game as a whole. You can stall on one move as long as you like, but _you_ manage your time."

But then Regina's voice was a low growl, interrupting a rather interesting conversation. She turned and tapped two of the lodge chefs on the forehead and then said, "That's quite enough _Life Lessons from the Queen of Hearts_." And then she waved a puff of purple smoke and the entire staff disappeared. "Off to bed now." She added. With another sweep of her hands, the lodge was transformed.

And Emma couldn't stop laughing. Regina had even redecorated the main room with her magic. It was now full of modern furniture and fixtures. The fireplace was surrounded with a large, grey brick exterior. She'd obviously decided to make some serious shit up to the owners, but the cost was her own energy levels.

Henry walked carefully over and stood next to her, a curious look on his face.

"I'm sorry." Regina bowed her head and swayed on her feet. "I'm sorry…"

"Go upstairs, relax. It'll all seem brighter in the morning." Cora touched her daughter's hand carefully.

"No. It won't get better. Because we have to go back soon," Regina swiped at a tear that reached her chin. "We have to go back," she continued, "and everybody hates me. And it won't be long before…"

They waited for the rest. But Regina just shook her head, turned and made her way slowly upstairs.

Snow intercepted Emma on her way up, asking if they might talk.

"In the morning?" Emma promised. "I think we should take some time as a larger group."

"Agreed." Snow leaned and pulled her daughter in for a hug. "You're a good person, Emma. You're good for Regina. Just take things slowly, but…"

"Yeah." Emma interrupted sheepishly. "Follow my heart, right? Is this that part of the conversation?" But her mother just waved her away with a smile.

"Come on people," Snow smiled wearily at the remaining members of her family. "It's a vacation! Let's have some fun." She turned and gave a wicked smile to her husband. "I'm raiding the wine cellar. Cora, you do the magic needed to keep them from finding out."

"Snow White! How quickly the good ones turn." Gesturing for Henry to get upstairs, Emma shook her head in mock disapproval. On her way up, she brushed her knuckles against the woodland art that adorned the walls. It reminded her of the Mayor's office in Storybrooke. And for just a second, she felt a twinge of doubt.

After shuffling Henry off to bed, Emma finally retreated for the night. Her head was starting to ache and the idea of actual sleep—unaffected by magic—was incredibly appealing.

The door between their rooms was open. So she locked her own main door and peaked around the corner. There she found Regina in bed, knees up to her chest, leaning against the headboard.

"What a weird fucking night." Emma started. Without a word of reply, Regina got out from beneath the sheets and walked slowly over, parting the grey sweater and unzipping Emma's jeans. "Oh…" Sure she liked what was happening, but still, it _had_ been a weird night. "Hey, uh, Regina, you sure?" She felt her jeans being yanked down, her thighs parted. Regina used the sweater for leverage, tugging on it as she kissed Emma's hipbones, then over her mound. The first swipe of her tongue left Emma breathless. The second moved more slowly, parting outer lips before moving delicately along her slit.

"I need to see you." Regina said, pulling away slightly. She moaned, then bit her lip, as Emma lifted her shirt and unclasped her bra in front. Then she leaned forward again, took her time circling Emma's clit, her hands moving to cover Emma's nipples, kneading and pinching as she sucked and licked more and more wetly.

Emma's orgasm was deep, luxurious, and it made her head feel suddenly lighter. She slid down onto her knees and held tightly to Regina's arms before pulling her close.

"Ok." The voice against Emma's neck was somewhat more relaxed. "Ok." She repeated and said also, "I think I'm ready now…"


End file.
